My 2011 Journal - Gift From Don

Don created this journal for me from a gold tooled journal purchased at Cheap Joe's. He began the tradition last year with a similar journal that I loved so much that he made me another personalized journal for 2011. He took detail photos of three of my quilts and made little recessed windows to display them in. And then he put my name and date on the book as well. The book has a half flap on the right that is magnetized to keep it closed and a pocket in the inside back for papers before they are attached to the book.

Last year, I used the book for business cards I collected, phone numbers and notes from meetings and planning while out of the office. A year's worth of thinking is recorded in it. Some sketches, but most sketches are contained in other journals. But it is the one place to go and find almost anything I collected during the year.

Do you have a special journal you love? And how do you use it?

Nancy

Art Comes in Many Varieties

This last week has been filled with art of all kinds. Went to the Mint Museum's celebration of the acquisition of "Charlotte Shout!" by Romare Bearden - a terrific piece of work. The Mint has finally achieved a good collection of this renown Charlotte artist.

But the celebration was mainly of a performance variety by groups from Johnson C. Smith University. There were several pieces of modern dance, well done by lovely supple young ladies from JCSU art program. But the highlight for me was the choral music by the JCSU chorus. Twenty seven members, 15 females and 12 males with a perfect balance of sopranos, altos, tenors, baritones and basses. I don't think I have ever heard as well balanced a group before. The selections they did were all gospel, but gospel done at the level of high opera. I still get chills as I remember some of the notes hit by the sopranos. If you have a chance to see and hear these groups, run, don't walk to the performances.


After the terrific music, we briefly checked out the Romare Bearden Gallery and then beat a hasty path to Halcyon Restaurant on the second floor of the Mint. Here locally acquired food is cooked and served as a fine art. A bit pricey, but superb. We especially loved the duck and the crepes.

And Friday night we went to the Jerald Melberg Gallery to see the work of Robert Kushner, whose work features wonderful florals and lots of gold. Great reception and Kushner was wearing a luscious hand woven silk top.

Next time I will post some artwork.

Nancy